Plan to tackle crime at the Star Hotel in Great Yarmouth

But the Star Hotel on Great Yarmouth's North Quay has fallen on hard times, becoming a derelict den of criminality and a hideout used by county lines gangs.

Now, to ensure it is protected from further decline, the local council has agreed to spend more than £80,000 to make the building watertight and barricaded to prevent further vandalism.

The windows and doors of the Star Hotel have been boarded up but there continues to be issues with people entering the property (Image: Denise Bradley)

Problems began at the site after it closed its doors and was sold to its new owners in 2020 who had the unusual plan to sell off individual rooms to then be leased out.

The income from these leases was intended to pay for the renovation of the property but this never came to fruition amid the turmoil of the pandemic.

It has been derelict ever since.

Charles Dickens (L) and Admiral Lord Nelson (R) are among the historical figures known to have stayed at the Star Hotel (Image: Historical archives)

However, it has become the repeated target of criminal and anti-social behaviour, including several arson attacks.

A report to councillors said that site was being used by county lines gangs, with reports of young people being held their against their will, weapons being kept there, drug taking and violence.

Police and firefighters say they will no longer enter the Grade II-listed building, unless there is a risk to life.

The report found that as a result of these activities, there is serious damage throughout the building, which is just a stone’s throw from Yarmouth's equally impressive Town Hall.

In its current state, the council says the property is a financial burden - even though it does not own it - because the authority has to deal with the anti-social behaviour and criminality linked to the site.

It hopes that by spending £81,000 to secure the landmark building it can help prevent further vandalism and protect it.

Firefighters and the police were called to the Star Hotel on Hall Quay on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. (Image: James Weeds)

It follows an earlier spend of £21,660 last October.

The proposed works include repairs to the roof or a full replacement if this is deemed necessary following structural investigations.

Metal shutters may also be erected to better secure the ground floor.

The Star Hotel at night in 2017 (Image: Newsquest)

ABSENT OWNERS

In their report to cabinet members, officers say that because the building's owners are registered in Malta, the council has faced added complications in its attempts to take action against the firm and secure any charges related to the works.

Less than 18 months after it was bought by a company for £700,000, the building changed hands for less than £1,000 to the current Maltese-based 36644 Ltd.

The Star Hotel from across the River Yare (Image: Denise Bradley)

This is less than what it sold for in 1930, when it went for £1,850.

Land registry documents show more than 40 rooms have been registered to separate owners - possibly netting over £2m if they were all sold under an advertised investment scheme billed as a way of raising money to complete refurbishment.

The story of the Star Hotel is similar to another hotel in the company's portfolio, Durker Roods Country House in Huddersfield, which has been left in the same situation.

The Star Hotel on the left, situated just a stone's throw away from Great Yarmouth's Town Hall (Image: Newsquest)

A NEGLECTED LANDMARK

"Never do tomorrow what you can do today," wrote Charles Dickens in his 1849 novel David Copperfield, which is thought to have been penned within the rooms of the Star Hotel.

But the current custodians of the historic building seem to have failed to take heed of this call to arms by the much-celebrated British author.

Its chequered history began in the 17th century when it was built as a merchants' house by the wealthy William Crowe, taking architectural inspiration from the Low Countries.

It was later sold to John Bradshaw, a senior judge who presided over the trial of King Charles I who was sentenced to death for treason. After declaring the king guilty, he refused to allow him to say any final words.

The Star Hotel at night, photographed in the 1960s (Image: Newsquest)

It later became the Star Tavern in the following century and became a favourite haunt of Admiral Lord Nelson, the Norfolk-born naval hero who defeated the French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar at the height of the Napoleonic Wars.

The wooden panelling that adorned a room often reserved for him now forms an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

A portrait of Charles Dickens (Image: PA)

Dickens went on to stay at the Star on several occasions and the hotel was immortalised in David Copperfield, with the protagonist staying there.

Early in the 20th century, the original building was demolished but the Star Hotel's licence was moved to another historic merchant house next door.

It continued to be well-used by visitors but in the 2010s it changed hands a number of times.

It closed temporarily in 2015 and reopened two years later after a significant refurbishment.

But after being sold to its current owners in 2020 it has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The Star Hotel has fallen into disrepair (Image: Denise Bradley)